Sunday, July 13, 2008

On the way to 50 years...

"I'm feeling a little sentimental," our pastor said this morning. His youngest daughter starts college in the fall; his 25th wedding anniversary comes at the end of this month; our church will celebrate a 20th birthday this year, too. "There's a lot that's got me thinking about a lot," he said. And I can relate.

I stood in the back of a church yesterday, photographing Katie & Branden's wedding, and watched a tear-jerker of a slide show. You know the kind - pictures of chubby babies and awkward teenagers morphing into adult people while a sentimental song plays in the background. Last summer, I hardly paid attention to them. But this year, every baby photo reminds me of the ones I'm currently storing on my hard-drive. And those awkward teens remind me that, God willing, there's a long road ahead in our parenting journey. I cry at every one of them.

And tonight I photographed Don & Maryanne and their family. They are Mike's great aunt & uncle, and they celebrated 50 years of marriage last month. This photo session was our gift to them. 50 years is a long time to be married. We're just into our 5th year of marriage, so we're only 1/10th of the way there. But Don and Maryanne know the work it takes to cross that half-century mark. They're two children have given them four gorgeous grandkids, and I bet if I asked, they'd tell me those grands are the prize for their years of patient endurance and perseverance in marriage.

So here's our little family. A long way from seeing Aaron take a bride. A longer way from a 50th wedding anniversary. It would be too easy to let the coming years speed by - they'll come at us fast, I know. But I'm seeing all that's stretched out in front of us in a new light this weekend, and I can't help but want to slow down a little and take it all in. I can't wait to see what adventures wait for us on our way to 50 years.